A Samurai's Way
by Hyourinmaru
Summary: After the anime, Katsushiro begins a new life but ends up training a brat? KatsushiroOC, maybe future KatsuKira
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Um… I'm surprised? There's not even a page full of Samurai 7 fics! Granted, I thought the anime was good, great voice actors too- and I find after watching the entire series in one night that not many people are even writing about it?

So, in my semi-conscious state, I'm going to write a fic for Samurai 7! I'm sorry, people who're waiting for my Bleach HitsuHina fic… the first chapter's done, just need someone to edit it… I'm just too hyped by my new fic right now… I'll write the second chapter as soon as possible!

**Disclaimer: If I owned Samurai 7, then Kyuzo would _not _die, and would be the main character…and Katsu- chan will be with Kirara! And, until then… I DON'T OWN IT.**

**A Samurai's Way**

**By: Hyourinmaru**

**Chapter 1**

The sun's fiery hot rays scorched the rough terrain below. Light breezes swept through the desert, swirling up grains of sand into the humid air. Rarely is there men seen wandering through these parts of land, as it is impossible to go through the desert before nightfall- where many rumours confirming of monsters and beasts waiting for an unsuspecting wanderer to fall victim to their evil plans. Yet, across the distance, a small speck slowly formed, growing larger as time passes.

A small vehicle(1) quickly sped through the terrain, unintentionally disturbing the sand in its wake. Its occupants, two males, sat diligently, looking ahead of the vast wasteland in front of them.

The younger male, not yet to be called man, was squirming in his seat, silver eyes bright of what adventures would befall in his journey with his companion. He wore a light green shirt underneath his beige jacket, black jeans and brown gloves. He had a kodachi(2), tucked securely in his belt, and was absentmindedly brushing his purple locks from his face. He looked at his acquaintance, who was silent through the journey.

"Katsushiro- sensei, are you really going to train me to be a samurai?"

His teacher looked a bit startled by the abrupt question, but nevertheless answered.

"If I wasn't, you'd have been back home with Mai already. Haven't we'd gone through this many times already? I have half a mind to go back now."

"But you couldn't, remember? You HAVE to teach me, otherwise Mai onee- chan wouldn't keep her part of the deal. Besides, chichue doesn't think I have the potential to be a samurai. I don't even have the potential to be the heir of Kiri. Might as well become a merchant living in the streets."

After the war against the capital and the Nobuseri(3), anarchy has fallen apart, and many people have tried to rule, forming distinct countries. Yet, a samurai by the name of Fujitaka Ran(4) firmly believed in uniting all those countries into one single country. Two years later, he conquered many countries with the help of Katsushiro and many other supporters, naming the newly formed country 'Kiri'. Fujitaka became the emperor of the new country, and appointed Katsushiro as the General of Kiri. Thus, a new era has come: with the new anarchy and changes in lifestyle, poverty has started to end.(5)

Katsushiro shook his head at his younger accomplice. "You know how your onee- chan is, no matter what, she's never going to be the Empress of Kiri. Not to mention your chichue's always busy with trying to conquer the rest of the countries."

"Then why can't we stay at Kiri? If anyone knows I'm the son of the Emperor, they'll try to kidnap me!"

"Rei (6), that's why we're getting out of the country. You need to learn how to defend yourself, and first experiences are great learning opportunities. Not to mention Umei– dono is pretty mad at your last joke. I think he's going to resign being your sensei soon."

"Keh, he deserved it! I saw him picking on Hayate- san(7). You _said_ what comes around goes around, sensei!"

Katsushiro scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "So I did, didn't I. But that's not how you interpret it-"

"You even said that samurai help the weak. Well, Hayate- san is weak, with his mysterious incurable illness, it is my duty to help him. Not to mention it wasn't _that _big of a joke anyways."

"Sure, if you call setting his clothes on fire not _that _big of a joke. You're not even trained as a samurai yet, so you're considered to be the weak."

Desperate to change the subject, Rei asked, "By the way, Katsushiro– sensei, where are we going?"

"We're heading towards the sea, but we're going to have a pit stop at the Kanna Village."

**Katsushiro and Rei are heading to the Kanna Village! But why? What could possibly be the deal Katsushiro had with Mai? All these questions will be answered on the next chapter of 'A Samurai's Way'.**

**Author's Notes**

Yea! Finished the first chapter!... Basically, it's just a little intro of what's changed (or what I've changed) in this chapter, so not much action thus far. Well, there's loads of OCs… so I'll give you guys a profile of them… maybe next chapter… but I can still kill them off, so don't worry! The chapter is bit short, but I'll try to lengthen them, just that it's going to mean longer time with the updates. And yes, it's hard to try to keep Katsushiro in character… BUT the whole capital fight thingy in the last couple of episodes sort of changed him, and he did went through a couple of other wars and stuff afterwards in this fic, so… change in attitude is alright! And don't mind the title, I have no idea how that came to be, but it's alright, it's just a temporary title for now.

(1) Um… like those glider thingies in Samurai 7 that the shikimorikubo have… by the way, the name sorta reminds me of Morikubo Shoutarou, the guy who did Nara Shikamaru…

(2) kodachi: short sword, between a wakizashi and katana in length… it's what my little handbook says… a katana is 25- 30 inches long (so… an inch is about 3 cm… 75 to 90 cm long, me guess…) and a wakizashi is a short sword… doesn't say how long though…

(3) Nobuseri meaning bandits… well, that's what it was translated in the subtitles… blames them?

(4) Fujitaka Ran is Mai and Rei's father… Rei has never really learned the art of becoming a samurai because his father's always busy, and instead becomes sort of a spoiled brat… but his heart's in the right place, he loves his sister… and **tries** to protect her. Maybe I should give a profile about them later.

(5) History, pure history. Chinese history, actually, but history nonetheless. Any guesses who I'm talking about? He's pretty famous, and I'm shamelessly basing this fic off of it… although I have no idea how Kiri came to be... I don't know how to name countries, so Kiri just came to mind at that point… unless, of course, anyone has any better ideas? And, don't say that the name sucks, it was ready to be the country of Urusai…

(6) Originally, he was supposed to be called Kaoru, but Rei seems a bit better, since his sister's name is Mai (I might kill her later, if you guys like Katsushiro and Kirara to be together, I have no objections… seriously, I only have a bit of an idea on how this is going…)

(7) Gekkou Hayate… one of my favourites in Naruto… and he was killed… but he's not going to be murdered… just going to live until that 'mysterious incurable illness' kills him… which is still better than getting killed and having your body be pecked by crows…

So… after you've read, review, and if it sucks, tell me how it sucks, not 'your fic sucks' and sign it as anonymous, cos it's just annoying… but then again, I'll have a review… hmm… the pros and cons of it… but yeah, please review, I'll like to know if I should continue it or not.

**Hyourinmaru**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Well, I'm back, with a new chapter of 'A Samurai's Way'. Well, it was supposed to start when they arrived at Kanna Village, but I don't know how to start that… BUT THEN! There was the chance of having a better way to write this… by starting where the first chapter ends! I know, I'm so smart (NOT). I had fun writing this chapter, especially when I'm writing about Rei. There's not really much humour in this fic, seeing as Kikuchiyo's not in it… Rei will just have to replace him!

Here's my little legend:

_Stuff like this:_ means that it's a flashback  
**Stuff like this:** means to emphasize on something  
Stuff like this: means Japanese/ foreign words  
**_Stuff like this_**: means flashback emphasis  
'Stuff like this': means the person's thoughts  
"Stuff like this": means the person's talking  
"_Stuff like this":_ means the person's talking in the flashback  
'_Stuff like this':_ means the person's thoughts in the flashback  
STUFF LIKE THIS: means yelling, voice raising, etc  
…: means pausing, hesitation  
---------: means a scene change/ time change

And I've thought of having one profile after a chapter, although I have no idea how many chapters I'm going to have. By the way, the whole 'capital and Nobuseri fight' thing ended about… 7 years? Loads could happen in 7 years… and I'm making Katsushiro 13 in the anime, and so he's 20 in this fic.

So… Reviews!

**Fauna-chan**: Yea! My first review! You just brightened my day, thanks for the review! Well, nothing really happened in Kanna Village… yet, but telling would just be spoiling the plot… and yes, this chapter is much longer than the first!

**Disclaimer: The only thing I own from Samurai 7 is… nothing. I borrowed the series off my friend… it sounds so sad… but it's the truth. I own nothing from Samurai 7. The only thing I own is this plotline in this story, the OCs: Rei, Mai, Fujitaka Ran, Hitoshi, Yamada -san, Fumi, Sora, Umei –sensei, and Hayate. **

**A Samurai's Way  
By: Hyourinmaru  
Chapter 2**

As the day tolled on, the sun began to set, its light beginning to fade away. Rei began to look anxious, hands starting to fidget as the sky began its descent into darkness, the start of night. Katsushiro looked back at him, noting the frightened look on his face, he asked, "What're you so scared of?"

Rei jumped, his eyes growing wide, before realizing it was his teacher that was talking to him. Teeth clattering, he answered, "T-t-there's bakemono and youkai after dark-k-"

He was cut off by Katsushiro sharply hitting him on the shoulder. "You don't believe in those things, do you? They're just stories, nothing's going to be there. It's just there to frighten anyone from traveling."

"And apparently, it **works**, stories or not! I haven't seen **anyone **out here for the last six hours! We're the only idiots traveling out here!"

Rei had now curled up into a ball, rocking back and forth, moaning out loud, "We're going to die, we're going to die… I want to go back home… I want onee- chan!"

Katsushiro looked at the pathetic being, and decided to take pity on him. "We'll be arriving in a couple of more hours or so. Take a nap if you're so scared."

* * *

Rei yawned, moving his hands to rub his eyes- and ended up bashing his head to the floor.(1) "Hey! What gives?" He grumbled, and rubbed his head instead. 

"Good, now that you're awake, you're going to walk on your own to Kanna Village." Katsushiro started walking, leaving behind Rei in his wake.

"Weren't we using that glider thing before? Why aren't we using that instead of having to walk?" Rei grumbled, staying put in his place.

"Look around you- you couldn't have used the 'glider thing', as you so adeptly put, around here. The only thing left is to walk."

The mountainous terrain was everywhere, in Rei's eyes. It seemed that the mountains could reach high above the sky, ending in a rough peak. There was little chance for anyone to be able to climb up the steep surface. There was a little path, running around the mountain's surface, that seemed barely enough room for two people to walk across. (2) Katsushiro continued walking, rounding off the corner, before Rei had a chance to get up to walk. He ran, hurrying to catch up with Katsushiro, but as he rounded off the corner, his feet didn't touch the ground, and he lost to gravity. His hand reached out, hoping to grab onto anything to break his fall, but the unyielding surface made it impossible to have any handholds. 'I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna-'

A hand reached out and caught Rei by the waist. He looked up, and saw Katsushiro, holding onto his katana, unsheathed, and the blade stuck into the rocky surface of the mountain. Katsushiro grunted at the extra weight he had to carry, before digging his katana deeper into the little crevice he had made while in his descent.

"It would help if you used your kodachi so you can have something to hold onto," Katsushiro shouted at Rei. Rei struck the surface with his kodachi, but was unable to get a hole in the wall. Katsushiro rolled his eyes at the futile attempt- clearly it was shown that this boy had never used the weapon other than to scare off meager kaitou and people.

After a couple of fruitless attempts, Katsushiro, annoyed, shouted at Rei, "Grab my arm. I'll do it."

Katsushiro took the kodachi and plunged it deep into the wall, letting it go for Rei to cling onto it. They hung there for a couple of minutes, before Rei became angry at the situation they had come across.

"I thought **you **knew the way to wherever we're heading to. Why did we end up hanging around in the mountains, with nowhere **else** to go?"

"Someone told me that this was the shortest way to get to Kanna Village. Hang on- let me think of a way to get out of this. I can get out of this easily, but with you with me, it'll be hard to…" Katsushiro's voice trailed off, thinking of a strategy without leaving his student down there in the big break from the path. Anyone could see that it was a beautiful view up in the mountains- Rei could see for miles, if he wasn't sweating over the fact that there was probably little chance of him surviving if he let go of his kodachi.

"Hang on, he says, when I'm already hanging, dangling about a billion miles (3) above some rotten mountain. Why are we even going to Kanna Village anyways? It's just a village, not really important anyways- I can see many other villages around Kiri. What's so special about it anyways-"

Rei's rant was cut off when a stray wooden plank hit him squarely on the head. Eyes rolled up, his hands loosened on his hold of his kodachi, before pitching backwards, falling. Katsushiro caught him and the plank, looking up to see a middle aged man looking down at him.

"Gomen nasai, I didn't know there were people down there. Could you please throw up the plank for me?" the man asked, hands clasped in front of him.

"Rikichi! Long time no see… I haven't changed much, have I?"

The man, Rikichi, took a closer look at the man below him. He was tall, with broad shoulders, and a muscular body. Although having physical changes to his body, Rikichi could tell who it was by the teal colour of Katsushiro's hair, although longer, and was pulled back into a ponytail. His eyes widened, stammering, "Katsushiro- dono! I haven't seen you since you fought against the Nobuseri. But why are you hanging down there?"

Happy to see an old friend, yet a bit uncomfortable having to carry Rei and the plank while holding onto his katana, Katsushiro responded, "I'll tell you everything when I come up. I'll throw the plank first, then the boy. That alright for you?"

Rikichi nodded, preparing himself for catching those two things. The plank went up first, and with some difficulty, Rikichi caught it, putting it aside on the path. The boy flew up just the same as the plank, yet Rikichi had less trouble catching him, as he was shorter and had been unconscious after the plank had struck him.

Rikichi looked back down to where Katsushiro was pulling the kodachi out of the rocks, and asked, "Katsushiro –dono, do you need help…"

Katsushiro pulled his katana out, and jumped swiftly up the rocks, becoming a blur to Rikichi. Clearly, Katsushiro needed no help in getting out of the hole. He landed right beside Rikichi, who fell over due to his surprise.

Katsushiro picked up the fallen body of Rei, and from the corner of his eye, saw Rikichi scrambling up, and was now looking at him expectantly. He sighed, it was going to be a long story to tell.

* * *

"So you're training this boy to become a samurai?" Rikichi inquired, jerking his thumb towards the still knocked out Rei, who was being carried on Katsushiro's shoulder like a grain sack. They were walking through the outskirts of the Kanna Village, since Katsushiro had told Rikichi that he was heading towards Kanna Village. 

"Hai. I'm planning on making Rei work in Kanna Village. He needs to train his karada, so I thought since Kanna Village is close to the sea, might as well visit."

"We'll be happy to have a new helper in the village! So, how long are you planning on staying?"

"About a year or so, I'm not sure yet. By the way, Rikichi, what were you doing out back in the mountains?" Katsushiro asked, smiling a little from Rikichi's enthusiasm of having Rei work in the village. 'This gaki hasn't worked a finger off of anything before. He'll probably be more of a nuisance than a help.'

"I was sent there to patch up that hole. Apparently, someone dropped a bomb there, and Kambei –dono told us about it."

Arriving at Kanna Village, they heard the distinct sounds of singing as the village folk started to plant their crops in the field. Children ran around, playing around in the vast field. A small boy ran up to Rikichi, hugging him around his legs, he shouted, "Otou!(4) Okaa, Papa's back!"

Katsushiro looked at the little boy, who appeared to be around four years of age. Aware of Katsushiro's gaze, the boy looked back, curious of the newcomer. Rikichi's voice pulled the two back to earth, introducing them to each other.

"Katsushiro –dono, this is my son, Hitoshi. Hitoshi, he's one of the seven samurai that saved our village from the Nobuseri."

A pretty long haired woman walked up to them, and hugged Rikichi. "Okaeri nasai, Rikichi."

"Oh, Sanae, this is Katsushiro –dono."(5)

* * *

Rei woke up again, lying on the wooden floor of someone's house. He was relieved that he hadn't died yet, but had a large bump on his head, and a major headache. Rubbing the bump tenderly, he tried to piece together his thoughts of what had happened. 'The only thing I remember is being stuck on the mountain…' 

_Anyone could see that it was a beautiful view up in the mountains- Rei could see for miles, if he wasn't sweating over the fact that there was probably little chance of him surviving if he let go of his kodachi._

_"Hang on, he says, when I'm already hanging, dangling about a billion miles (3) above some rotten mountain. Why are we even going to Kanna Village anyways? It's just a village, not really important anyways- I can see many other villages around Kiri. What's so special about it anyways-"_

_Rei's rant was cut off when a stray wooden plank hit him squarely on the head. Eyes rolled up, his hands loosened on his hold of his kodachi, before pitching backwards, falling. _

Not remembering how he came to be in the little house, Rei assumed that Katsushiro found some way of saving them. He looked around the little house that he actually would call a shack, and found that there was no one there. Sliding open the doors of the house, there was no one there either. In fact, it seemed like Rei was the only life form in the little village. Stepping into the middle of the road, he shouted, "WHERE THE HELL IS EVERYONE? IS THIS SOME KIND OF JOKE OR SOMETHING?"

* * *

Night came swiftly upon the village of Kanna, its people quickly lighted the lamps in their house, getting ready to sleep. Among the houses, one stood out from the rest- it was the home of the mizumiko. Lights already lit, there seemed to be more people dwelling in it than the usual. 

Katsushiro talked animatedly at the crowd, consisting of Kirara, Rikichi, Sanae and Komachi. Even Kambei and Shichiroji had been present, only visiting the Kanna Village and the graves of Gorobei, Kyuzo, Heihatchi and Kikuchiyo.

"So then he went to Fujitaka –dono with his sopping wet clothes, and said 'I quit'. I swear, Rei doesn't seem to stick to the same teachers for more than a couple of months!"(6)

The crowd roaring with laughter, the door slid open, and an angry Rei walked in, followed by Hitoshi, who immediately went to his father.

"Is this the brat you were talking about?" Shichiroji asked.

"Oh, yeah, he's Fujitaka Rei. Rei, this is Shichiroji, over there is Kambei, the couple over there is Rikichi and Sanae- you've met their son, I think- and these two pretty girls are Kirara and Komachi," Katsushiro pointed to the people as he introduced them to Rei.

"The pleasure's all mine, I guess," Rei answered with a pissed off tone. He was still upset at being left behind, and had managed to get hold of a kid to show him around the village somewhere between midday. He sat beside Katsushiro, still sulking, and ate the food Katsushiro handed to him.

"Say, Katsushiro, you're training that kid to become a samurai? I don't think he has the potential to become one," Kambei spoke outloud.

Rei choked on the rice, and seeing his look of outrage, Katsushiro replied, "Ah, Mai and I made a deal, so I have to train her brother."

Filled with curiosity, Komachi asked, "What's her part of the deal?"

It was Rei that answered, mouth now free of rice. "Katsushiro asked Mai onee- chan to marry him, but she refused. She told him that if he was able to teach me to become a samurai, then she'll marry him."

Katsushiro pulled out a chain from around his neck, which held a ring. "Until then, we're engaged. It'll probably take a long time until Rei becomes a samurai, but I hope she'll be waiting."

Everyone was silent for a moment, thinking about this new piece of news. It was Komachi who broke the silence.

"So? How did you two meet?"

"You wouldn't believe it, but she called me a thief."

"Thief?" It had now caught the attention of all the people in the room.

"It was probably the weirdest day of my life…"

_The city of Kaze was adequately named- it was windy all season, rain or shine. The citizens adapted well in the weather, and were famous at making coats all over the country. It was this city that Katsushiro came upon on to find a Fujitaka Ran. He was really lost, except he didn't show it- ending up getting more lost as he continued to walk further into the city._

_A girl was seen running through the city, a pair of thugs hotly pursuing behind her. Quickly going around a corner, before ducking under a low beam that was used as a clothes line, she definitely knew the way around the area. The men weren't very much lucky. After running around the corner, they collided straight into the beam. The girl looked back at them, who were getting hit by an elderly woman for destroying her property. She laughed, flipping her hair back, she yelled, "That's what you get for trying to hurt a girl like me!"_

_Seeing what had happened, Katsushiro decided to ask the girl for directions. He walked towards her, was currently fixing the clothes line for the woman._

_"I'm terribly sorry for ruining your clothes line, Yamada -san," the girl said profusely, the thugs already gone after getting beaten by an elderly woman._

"_Nonsense, dearie. It was those gaki, their fault. Though I must say, why were you doing scurrying around with those two men? It isn't proper to be doing that," the woman said, a bit breathless from beating those thugs with her cane._

"_Oh, I just said a couple of words to them, and they were threatening to beat me up! The nerve of them… not acting gentlemanly at all!" She finished fixing the beam and was putting the clothes back on._

"_Oh, your mouth will be the death of you, Mai. Women should be seen, not heard. (7) Your father should be sending you to that ladies' academy."_

"_Oh, Yamada –san! You don't **really** mean that, do you? Times are changing- it's time women should be taking a bit of a voice for themselves! Besides, who will help you if I'm sent to that dreaded school?" Mai finished fixing the line, but was approached by a mysterious man in front of her._

"_Excuse me, but could you tell me how to get to the Fujitaka household? I'm kind of lost," Katsushiro said._

"_You're not a citizen in Kaze, are you? It's a bit far from here. You walk straight to your left, until you see a man in a booth selling umbrellas, and buy one for Fujitaka –sama, he loves collecting umbrellas. Then you take a right, and when you see a store that sells wind chimes, buy one for Fujitaka –sama's daughter. Then walk straight for about 10 minutes, take another right, and walk until you see a sapling that's growing in the middle of the road, and you see a medicine store. Walk to the store's left and it's there on your right- you can't miss it."_

_After Katsushiro left, thanking her for her directions, Mai was grabbed by two girls. "Hey! What gives?" _

"_You're so mean, Mai –chan! You could've taken him with you home," one of the girls said._

"_Yeah, Fumi's right, Mai –kun, he's pretty handsome- look at his muscles!" the other girl said._

"_Oh, I'm sorry, I'm supposed to swoon at every cute guy that comes in my way? Sora, I don't even know him, and he comes asking me for directions to my home? Please, as if I'm that naïve. He could be a robber or a hired assassin looking for my family!" Mai began walking, being trailed by the two girls._

"_Demo, demo, you could've at least told him the right directions! Your house is the other way, isn't it? Not to mention you have lots of guards at your house, they can protect your family!" Fumi said._

"_Yeah, no wonder my mother said that no one wants you! She said that every time someone worthy of getting to be your husband always ends up marrying someone else. You need a new personality, Mai," Sora said, wagging her index finger at her._

"_Whatever, at least I'm not fake like you. Besides, I don't want a husband weighing me down- I'm going to be independent! Not to mention most of those men only want to marry me because I'm rich, I look pretty, and I'm famous. I'm going to buy something-"_

_There was a shriek so loud, everyone in the city was able to hear it. Mai patted herself down, looking anxious by the second. Her friends, Fumi and Sora, had fainted when she had screamed, and were lying on the floor behind her. _

"_Where is it? I know I had it when I left home- that's it! That man must've stolen my wallet!" Resolve strengthened, she made it her mission: to find the man- dead, or alive._

_She didn't have to look far- Katsushiro had come back, after hearing that scream, he had thought that something had happened to Mai. Before he could even ask if she was alright, she smacked him, hard on the cheek._

"_What was that for!" His question had sounded more of a exclamation due to his surprise._

"_You- you, thief! How are you try to steal from me! Asking for directions to distract me from noticing that you've stolen my wallet! Now, give it back, or I swear I'll have you killed."_

"_I have no idea what you're talking about, lady, but I don't have your wallet. You can even do a strip search on me to see if I have your wallet," Katsushiro grumbled, nursing his cheek._

_Up went the hand, and with a blur, came down on Katsushiro's other cheek. "You… you… you hentai!" she screamed, leaving him with two bruised cheeks._

_

* * *

_

_Katsushiro looked around the shop, clearly having little experience with wind chimes. The lady of the shop same up to him, and asked, "Do you need any help?" _

"_Yeah- I have no idea what to look for! There's just, so many different wind chimes!" (8)_

"_Is it for a lover?" She asked teasingly._

"_No! it's not like that- it's just a present for Fujitaka's daughter."_

"_Oh, you mean Mai –sama? She loves wind chimes… by the way, are you planning on visiting them? One of my workers found her wallet on the ground. I heard her scream a couple of minutes ago, I hope she's alright…"_

"_**That's** Fujitaka –dono's daughter? She slapped me and called me a thief!"_

"_So that's how you got those bruises on your cheeks. Well, if you're looking for a gift to Mai –sama, she'll probably want that wind chime," she pointed at a plain wind chime that didn't seem to stand out from the rest in her shop._

"_But… that's so plain! Why would she want that?"_

"_It's because it's plain. She's been going around and telling people to buy her a wind chime, and they give her those really expensive and big wind chimes. All she wants is a plain wind chime, that's what she told me when she came over once. I'm not supposed to tell you this, but it's time the girl gets what she wants."_

_"And... does Fujitaka -dono like to collect umbrellas?"_

_"What on earth are you talking about? Fujitaka -sama doesn't like umbrellas very much, it reminds him of his dead wife!" _

"_I see… so, can you tell me how to get to the Fujitaka household? I'm a bit lost."_

"_Fujitaka household? It's a long distance from here!"_

_

* * *

_

_When Katsushiro arrived at the Fujitaka household, it was already dark. The servants had already lighted the lamps around the compound, and there wasn't anyone around the area- yet the doors were still opened. Katsushiro entered, and bumped into a little boy._

_"Watch it, you idiot," he hissed, but was grabbed by Katsushiro._

_"I'm looking for Fujitaka –dono," Katsushiro said._

_"So? It's none of my business if you're looking for my father. Ask someone else," he spat, and twisted out of Katsushiro's grip, walking out of the house. Behind Katsushiro, a servant coughed, and lead Katsushiro to Fujitaka Ran's study._

_"Oh, you're here, good, I hope you didn't have much trouble finding my house," Fujitaka Ran said, indorsed with the documents on his desk._

_"No, I didn't have any problems," Katsushiro said, looking at Mai, who had been in the same room as him. She glared at him._

_"Well, we'll talk in the morning. Mai, darling, take Katsushiro –san to his room._

_"Hai."_

_Leaving Fujitaka Ran to his devices, they walked through the maze- like pathways in silence. Stopping at one door, Mai grounded out, "Your room, thief."_

_"Hey, can't you drop that? My name is Oyamoto Katsushiro. By the way, here, catch!" A bundle flew in the air, and she caught it. Wondering what was making a little 'clink' noise, she opened it, and saw her wallet, with a plain wind chime._

_"The wind chime lady found it. So stop calling me a thief."_

_Unable to control her happiness, she turned around, and said, "Whatever, thief," and skipped away, in higher spirits, not listening to Katsushiro's vehement protests._

**Katsushiro and Rei have arrived at Kanna Village! What will happen there? Will Kirara find love again? And will Rei be forced to do work in the fields? Find out on the next chapter of 'A Samurai's Way'!**

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**Author's Note:** Well, another chapter, done! It's way longer than the first chapter, not to mention more action! It's nine pages- without all the author notes and stuff included! Well, I've made Rei into a brat, just because I feel like writing him as a brat, so excuse the little change in attitude in this chapter. By the way, Kiri means mist… as for how I got that, it's part of Fuuko's last name in Flame of Recca, you know, Kirisawa… as for Kanna… well, I saw the kanji for it, but I have no idea if it's the same as Chinese, but it's roughly translated as God Nothing… well, the second kanji means nothing in Chinese, or close to it, anyways… if anyone really knows the translation of Kanna, it'll be appreciated… and maybe even help a bit in my fic, seeing as I need some names… 

Well, lots of scene changes, seeing as I'm trying to make it longer… and since it's in Third Person, I can switch to different people… and POV. It's probably going to be like that for the whole story (I still don't know how this is going to turn out, seeing as I wrote the first chapter while I was semi- conscious… )

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**Hyourinmaru's Dictionary of Japanese Words**

**bakemono**: monsters  
**youkai**: demons  
**onee- chan**: older sister  
**katana**: a sword that is 25- 30 inches long… which is about 75 to 90 centimeters if you're more familiar to the metric system.  
**kodachi**: a short sword, between a wakizashi and katana in length  
**wakizashi**: a short sword (probably shorter than a kodachi)  
**kaitou**: thieves  
**Kiri**: mist  
**gomen nasai**: I'm very sorry  
**Nobuseri**: bandits  
**-dono**: formal way of addressing someone, I guess it's like saying sir, or ma'am to someone  
**karada**: body  
**gaki:** brat  
**otou**: less formal way of saying father… I guess it's like saying papa in English  
**okaa**: less formal way of saying mother… like saying mama in English  
**okaeri nasai**: welcome home  
**mizumiko**: water priestess… I didn't quite catch the Japanese term for it, but it should be close enough  
**Kaze**: wind  
**-san**: meaning Mr, Mrs, or Mis  
**-sama**: meaning lord or lady  
**-chan**: addressing someone who's a girl in a fondly manner  
**-kun**: addressing someone who's a boy, or a girl that is lower than them (either status, money wise or school wise) … there's many ways in using –kun  
**demo**: but  
**hentai**: pervert  
**hai**: yes (it's the same in Chinese!)

**Little Note:** In Japanese, they don't have such thing as plural… so if it's one hito or seventy hundred hito, the noun'll be the same: hito (person). It's sorta like Chinese…

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(1) Katsushiro's carrying him piggyback style! 

(2) I'm talking about the way where Kirara, Shichiroji and Kyuzo took when they all split ways to get to Kanna Village. Apparently, it seemed to be the shortest route to take, since they arrived first.

(3) He's just exaggerating… but it'll probably kill him if he lets got of his kodachi… that's just how far it is from the ground, and how high the mountain they're on is.

(4) It's what that daughter called Mana, or whatever that guy's name is… so I'll use that for Rikichi's son.

(5) Introductions are getting too long, might as well skip it, since it was getting a bit boring for me to write (and probably to read too..)

(6) Don't. Ask. I have no idea what to put there…

(7) I know, it's supposed to be 'children should be seen, not heard, but whatever… but Yamada –san is old, she's still living in the rules of her era… and is this a little foreshadowing? smirks

(8) I don't either… I don't know anything there is to wind chimes… just saw the bit from Tactics… but no, that's not where Mai's name came from either…

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**Profile**

**Name: **Fujitaka Rei  
**Name Meaning:** Fujitaka- I have no idea, just got that in my mind; Rei- soul  
**Age:** 11  
**Birthday:** July 23  
**Origin of Birth:** unknown (change in names of countries, it is believed that he was born in an inn from the Northern Region)

**Brief Background:** After child labour, his mother died, leaving his father to bring him up. Fujitaka Ran was upset for his wife's death, burying himself into his work and therefore having little time to take care of his children- so Mai was left to take care of Rei. When Fujitaka Ran conquered Kiri, Rei was the heir of the Emperor, even though he has rarely seen his father in his life. He has little friends before and after his father was the Emperor, and only has Mai to console with. His attitude suggests that he wants little to do with anyone, although what he really wants is friendship.

**Note From Author:** Seriously, I wanted to name him Kaoru, from FoR, you know, Koganei Kaoru? But I think Rei's a bit better, then again, they're both names that can be used by both genders. I was really sorely tempted to write Kon each time I write his name, from Bleach, since I'm sort of portraying a bit of him in this character, though more of the bratty side of him. He has a big heart, but it's hidden deep underneath his brattiness, and maybe we'll see it if Mai comes into this story. He doesn't really care about his father, seeing as he doesn't really see his father much, and I guess he probably thinks he'll be better off if his father's dead. He pretty much hates everything except his sister, but it'll change later in the story.

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Little Side Note: I'm going to start another story, called 'Iced Peaches', a Bleach hitsuhina fic, so... I've made this chapter longer than I've really imagined it to be... I was planning on cutting part of the flashback out, seeing as it was pretty long, but I didn't, so... don't expect me to post until a week (7 days... or more..) is over... I'm also starting on Samurai 7 One Shots, so you'll get to read those soon. So, review, please! I need some suggestions (which is why I'm starting on other fics...) and you'll be a big help if you write some Japanese names...in your reviews... I can't think of any (brain dead...). And if you don't like something, tell me... I might fix it, on certain conditions... 

**Hyourinmaru**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **Finally! The third chapter of 'A Samurai's Way'! So many things happening this week… but you're all going to think that I'm just fishing for excuses not to write the third chapter… so let's just start this! By the way people, please tell me if you guys want me to pair Katsushiro and Kirara up… it's so weird having to write something that I don't know if other people want them to be together…

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**Here's my little legend:**

_Stuff like this:_ means that it's a flashback  
**Stuff like this:** means to emphasize on something  
Stuff like this: means Japanese/ foreign words  
_**Stuff like this**:_ means flashback emphasis  
'Stuff like this': means the person's thoughts  
"Stuff like this": means the person's talking  
_"Stuff like this":_ means the person's talking in the flashback  
_'Stuff like this':_ means the person's thoughts in the flashback  
STUFF LIKE THIS: means yelling, voice raising, etc  
…: means pausing, hesitation  
---------: means a scene change/ time change  
S-Stuff like this: stuttering, spluttering, etc

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1. One profile after a chapter: this time is Fujitaka Mai  
2. No idea how many chapters this is going to be… 10? 20? Who knows…  
3. The capital and Nobuseri fight ended 7 years ago  
4. I'm making Katsushiro 13 in the anime, he's 20 in this fic.

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Reviews! 

**babygurly17:** my sis… thanks so much for your nice comments, your praise, everything you wrote made me more inspired… uh… just writing all this so you won't kill me for forgetting to include you for reviewing… thanks! By the way, I got that idea from some other Fanfiction writers, the number thing… and sorry! I'll be sure to write a Bleach fic after, I promise!

**Fauna-chan:** Really? It was that great? I'll make sure to write lots of action scenes and stuff in this chapter! Don't die! I still need you to read the next chapter (and for reviewing)!

**Fires Of Destiny:** THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING AND ADDING THIS FIC FOR YOUR FAVOURITES! Well, here's the next chapter! Hope it's to your liking, and thank you for your positive review!

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Disclaimer: I own nothing of Samurai 7. The only thing I own is this plotline in this story, the OCs: Rei, Mai, Fujitaka Ran, Hitoshi, Yamada -san, Fumi, Sora, Umei –sensei, and Hayate.

A Samurai's Way  
By: Hyourinmaru  
Chapter 3

The full moon illuminated the land of Kanna Village, the occupants already blowing out the candles and lanterns, getting ready to sleep. It was peace and quiet, with an occasional noise here and there. In the home of the mizumiko, most of the people residing there have fallen asleep- except for Kirara. She was wide awake, unable to sleep after Katsushiro's recount of his meeting with his fiancée, Mai.

Kirara looked at the bright moon from the window, leaning her head on her knees and loosely hugging them. 'Seeing Katsushiro -sama again has made me think about the times he has suffered to become a samurai. It makes me happy that he has finally found happiness with Mai -sama. Yet, why is it that when I think about Katsushiro -sama with someone else makes me jealous? I… is it because I have not found happiness with someone as well?' (1)

Unable to find a straight answer, Kirara got up, wary of waking others from their sleep, and got out of her house. The night sky was clear, and Kirara could see many stars glittering across the black sky, creating patterns made from the gods themselves. Kirara walked around, mind still unsettled, still thinking about Katsushiro. 'No… it can't be true. I have long gotten over that already. I'm… I'm so confused. Why is it that since Katsushiro -sama came to Kanna Village, my mind is at an unease? What is wrong with me?'

"Kirara -dono! Why are you up this late?"

Kirara looked around- she had walked a complete circle around her house, and a perplexed Katsushiro was standing in the doorway, scratching the back of his head. Kirara blushed, feeling a bit embarrassed for being too caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't seen Katsushiro.

"Katsushiro -sama! Gomen nasai, I didn't see you there. Why are you up at this hour? You should still be sleeping," Kirara replied, diverting Katsushiro's earlier question.

"Ah, I forgot to write a letter to Mai. She wants to have a report of what we're doing everyday."

"Demo… how are you going to send the letter to Mai -sama? Kanna Village is too far from Kiri."

"Eto… I asked Mai before- she seems to have an answer to everything, ne? Anyways, she told me to use a bird to carry the message to Kiri," Katsushiro sheepishly replied, reluctantly thinking, 'Even I couldn't get away from doing this. This is so troublesome…' (2)

"Tori? It's not really reliable though."

"Kiri tori are **very** well trained- they can go anywhere in the world, and come back to their owners. Not to mention they are also capable of taking their master's orders, not just for letter carrying," Katsushiro grinned, thinking back to the times Mai had attacked him with Kiri tori…

Katsushiro walked down the stairs from the Fujitaka household. His mind was still reeling from talking to Fujitaka -dono about tactics used to takeover the country run by the vicious lord, Wakayashi(3). The lord had ruled the land with an iron grip, those that resist or break any commands from the lord are immediately executed in front of the people- broadcasted, and brought shame towards their family name. Although the lord was rich and powerful, there was little people that either supported him, nor had stood up to him. It was a poverty filled land, the people rarely had any will to do either but to accept their lord's wishes and demands.

With a screech, a bird dove down at Katsushiro, attempting to peck out Katsushiro's eyes. With quick reflexes, Katsushiro punched the bird away. The bird sailed a couple of feet away, landing in a crumpled heap on the ground. Katsushiro inspected his hand- indeed, there were cuts from where the bird had dragged its beak across the back of his hand. He pressed down hard on the wound to stop the blood that was continually dripping down steadily. It wasn't that deep of a cut, yet it was enough for Katsushiro to be unable of use his hand as effectively as before.

"Ah! Daijoubu desu ka?"

Seeing Mai and her worried face, Katsushiro answered, "Hai, I'm-"

Mai had ran past Katsushiro- towards the bird that had attacked him. Laying its body on her lap, she said, "Get a hold of yourself! Did the thief did this? Answer me, Kon!(4) Say something!"

Still a bit confused by Mai's care for the bird, Katsushiro angrily yelled, "That bird attacked me! Yet you are caring for it as if it were your pet! I never knew Kiri birds are this aggressive to attack people!"

"They aren't. I told him to attack you."

"Why'd you do that for? If it was because I accidentally broke that vase-"

"That was my mother's favourite vase… and you, a common ronin… broke one of the few things that my mother truly cherished- you **bastard**!"

"Well, what truly counts is the memories you have of your mother-"

Katsushiro was interrupted by Mai, who, beside her, was a revived Kon, the bird. "Tear his face apart! I don't ever want to see his hideous face ever again!"

"W-Wait a minute here, Mai- you really aren't going to-"

The screech of the bird drew near Katsushiro, who-

"Katsushiro -sama? Katsushiro -sama, daijoubu? Can you hear me?" Kirara was waving her hand in front of Katsushiro's face. Still caught up with the past, Katsushiro swiftly grabbed Kirara's arm.

Squirming from Katsushiro's grip of her arm, Kirara asked, "Kataushiro -sama… you're hurting me."

Quickly realizing that he was holding her arm too tightly, Katsushiro immediately let go, apologizing for hurting her.

"It's alright… to think, that seven years ago, you were telling me that you won't let go of my hand… it's so nostalgic…"

Katsushiro nodded, a bit embarrassed for his little slip up. After leaving from Kanna Village, he had went from country to country, going into wars and mindlessly killing, killing… he couldn't remember much during those times, but sometimes, he could see the terror of their faces, the cries of lost comrades, sometimes even more- vows of revenge for their deaths, many times directed towards him. He rarely slept, either from the memories… or from those that have tried to kill him in his sleep. Meeting Mai had eased the pain of his past- she had confronted him, making him tell her what had happened. Had he'd been the person he was before he met Mai, he would've broken Kirara's arm… perhaps even thrusting his katana deep into her heart… but he wasn't like that. Not anymore, anyway.

"Well, I better start writing the letter. Kirara -dono, do you want to help me with it? I don't know where you keep your ink and brushes…" (5)

"Oh, sure, I'll show you."

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"Eto… Katsushiro -sama…"

"Hai?"

"Isn't your letter… a bit too… rude?"

Katsushiro had finished writing his name at the bottom of the letter. Currently, it had looked like:

Mai,

So far, the baka and I are enjoying our stay at Kanna Village. Don't worry, we're going to have to put some muscle on that gaki- that's what happens when you spoil him too much, Mai! He couldn't even do anything with his kodachi! I'm going to make him work in the fields, and don't you dare say anything about it! You said that you'll marry me after I trained that idiot, you never said how. I'm thinking about staying at the Kanna Village for a year or so, then we'll head across the sea- I heard that they're going to war soon. (You see, normally, I would be there already if you hadn't have strapped me to that kid.)

Katsushiro

"Huh? It doesn't look that rude to me…" Katsushiro said, inspecting his letter, trying to see what Kirara meant by 'rude'.

"Eto… maybe I should write the letter to Mai -sama. She's your fiancée, isn't she?"

"Oh! Mai doesn't really care about that- if she did, she would've married some pretty boy already. If she wants a report, she wants a report about what I'm going to do about her brother." Katsushiro caught on to what Kirara had been trying to imply. In truth, Mai was not a woman to be swayed by petty romantic words and courting ways. Katsushiro knew- on their first date, Mai had yelled at him in the restaurant for bringing her there to eat. She was more into having everything plain, she later confessed to him.

Kirara yawned. It was already late, and talking to Katsushiro had made her forget about her thoughts about him. She bade goodbye to him, and went to bed.

Katsushiro sighed, yet wasn't tired like Kirara. He knew that once he would sleep, he would dream about the things he had done in the past. In the past, Mai would help him from having those dreams, but she wasn't here now. Katsushiro remembered how he had awakened most of the people in the inn he and Rei had stayed in because of those dreams. In the end, they had been kicked out, sleeping outside on the streets. He knew Rei had been suspicious of what had happened, yet had not questioned him further, Katsushiro was sure that Rei had not wanted to know.

Katsushiro whistled softly, and a bird landed on his arm, pecking its beak softly on Katsushiro's hand. It was the same bird that had tried to take a go at his face, yet it had long befriended him later when its mistress had fallen in love with this weird creature. It cawed at the irony of those two- it seemed that destiny was mocking at them. Soon, soon, its mistress would face the harsh reality of the past, and it will never be the same again. There was a fine line between love and hate, and a thinner line between good and evil.(6)

Katsushiro tied the letter to the bird's leg, mindful of its talons, and let it fly into the night air. He prepared himself for another long night ahead, reminiscing the times he had with Mai, waiting for the sun to come up.

**Night has fallen on Kanna Village! Will Kirara ever find out about her feelings? Will Mai intervene and prevent Rei from working in the fields? And will Katsushiro ever find a way to sleep again?**

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**Author's Note:** Sorry it was so short! Only half of the last chapter! In truth, I was trying to write this longer, but I wanted Rei to work in the next chapter, and have Mai and Katsushiro interacting in this chapter… (and this is the last chance for you people to tell me if you want me to have those two paired together!) Don't go yelling at me for including Mai and the flashbacks in the chapter! It's to show that Katsushiro, even though he doesn't really show it, he misses Mai… you would too if your significant other is far away from you and isn't married to you yet! By the way, seeing as I got a new computer, it... didn't have Microsoft Word installed in it! I'm sorry if the doecument ended up messed... I'm trying to make it look alright... (it took so long :(...) Anyone want to go and change my WordPad thingy to Word Documents? Please?I can't seem to change the extension of it... post a comment on my LJ account (on my profile) or I might not be able to post another chapter... (well, maybe not that drastic... but desperate!)

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Hyourinmaru's Dictionary of Japanese Words

mizumiko: water priestess… I didn't quite catch the Japanese term for it, but it should be close enough  
**-sama: meaning lord or lady  
****Kanna: In Chinese- God Nothing? (at least, that's what the characters say…) anyone know the translation in Japanese?  
****gomen nasai: I'm very sorry  
****demo: but  
****Kiri: mist  
****eto: um…  
****ne: right?  
****tori: bird  
****-dono: formal way of addressing someone, I guess it's like saying sir, or ma'am to someone  
****daijoubu desu ka/ daijoubu: Are you alright? (Response: Daijoubu- I'm alright)  
****hai: yes (it's the same in Chinese!)  
****kon: spirit (though I think the kanji for it means Gold in Chinese…)  
****ronin: wandering samurai (uh… translation from the subs of Peace Maker Kurogane: Souji -kun starry eyes kakoii!)  
****katana: a sword that is 25- 30 inches long… which is about 75 to 90 centimeters if you're more familiar to the metric system.  
****baka: idiot  
****gaki: brat  
****kodachi: a short sword, between a wakizashi and katana in length  
****wakizashi**: a short sword (probably shorter than a kodachi)

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(1) The beginning of Kirara's feelings! She's jealous of Mai- now if only she would see that…  
(2)I had to write it… Shikamaru luv!  
(3) Some name I made up… I'm so proud of myself cries.  
(4) I had to have Kon in this!  
(5) Well, it's in the anime…  
(6) that was me, trying to spout some philosophy and the stuff… I'm trying to have a little foreshadowing here! I'm just… using Kon, the bird to do this! I know, birds don't have wacko powers… but you never know… besides, Kon is a Kiri bird! Its name implies as 'spirit' in Japanese, so I thought it'll be cool for it to have some abilities- which you'll find out later… (I'm so mean!)

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**Profile**

**Name: **Fujitaka Mai  
**Name Meaning:** Fujitaka- I have no idea, just got that in my mind; Mai- that I have no idea either… although I did got it from somewhere…  
**Age: **18  
**Birthday:** March 5  
**Origin of Birth:** In the battlefield- was actually adopted by the Fujitaka family, which is another reason why Fujitaka Ran did not make her as his heir to the kingdom.Brief Background: She was actually one of Fujitaka Rin's (Rei's mother) friend's daughter, but due to unfortunate circumstances, was orphaned at birth. She was the lone survivor of her family- it was unknown as to what had happened to the rest of her family, but she was found alive by Fujitaka Ran. Due to much persuasion, she was adopted into the Fujitaka family. Treated as their own for many years, until Rin was expecting a child, she was pushed aside for the new baby. Angry at the attention the unborn baby was getting, Mai wished for the baby to disappear. On the same day, Fujitaka Rin gave birth prematurely to Rei, but died because of blood loss. Blaming herself of her adopted mother's death, Mai took care of Rei as their father buried himself into work.  
**Note From Author:** I have an urge to write Hana instead of Mai whenever she comes up… Hana, short for Hanatarou in Bleach (Ganjuu's nickname for him, it seems…) Well, she was a character that I have little idea on how she was going to be- bratty, or really nice; and well, it sort of came in between… seeing that I didn't want her to be like Hanatarou… (maybe someone else will! hint?) No one really understands her, especially guys, and she doesn't want to marry a guy that doesn't understand her, even if it is for a better status for the family. She's an independent person, and she toughens up, only saving her kindness to her brother. (By the way… the 'unfortunate circumstances' about what happened to Mai's real family, I won't tell… it will spoil the plot that I currently have… so unless it changes, I won't tell… yet!)

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Little Side Note: I'm currently working on more than 'a couple' of fics here… let's see… I have 2 Bleach fics, those Samurai 7 One Shots, this fic, my new MAR fic and my Naruto fic… not to mention summer holidays are coming to an end (cries 'Where did it go! Come back!') so… updates are going to be slower… sorry! Have to do well at school this year! 

Hyourinmaru


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